The present invention relates to a surfboard leash of resilient material for linking a surfer and his surfboard, particularly to use with the floating type of surfboard known as a "Malibu" board. Surfing on this type of board is performed with the surfer standing on the board which has sufficient buoyancy to support the surfer entirely out of the water. Leashes of this general type are known but have not found wide acceptance due to the fact that a satisfactory design had not been found until the present invention was made.
Even when surfing on relatively small waves the distance from the beach to the "take-off" point where the surf riding starts is often quite large and on large waves the distance to the take-off point can be very considerable. After each surf ride a surfer has to swim, with his surfboard from the beach to the take-off point and this clearly represents the major part of the physical effort involved and is quite time consuming. Since it is a difficult operation to get the surfboard moving down the slope of a wave and then to stand up on it, involving great balancing skill, it frequently happens that the intending surfer loses his balance and falls off his surfboard before actually getting properly under way. This is known as a "wipe out." If this happens the surfer is separated from his surfboard, which latter is carried by the wave back to the beach. The surfer, however, is left to swim back to the beach to retrieve his board and then has to return with it to the take-off point in order to try again. This obviously increases the amount of time wasted in swimming, without the surfer even having a surf-ride. Apart from this disadvantage to the surfer, there is a further disadvantage, from the point of view of other surfers or swimmers, since the surfboard carried alone by a wave represents a safety hazard. Being unguided and, normally, broadside on to the wave, it is both difficult to spot and difficult to avoid. An impact between a swimmer and such a free surfboard can be quite dangerous since there is the possibility that the swimmer may be knocked unconscious, in addition to any damage which may be caused by the impact.
If each surfer were to have his surfboard attached to him then upon the occurence of a "wipe-out" he would nevertheless be able to retrieve the board without having to return from the take-off point to the beach. Moreover, the danger from freely moving unguided surfboards would be correspondingly reduced since, being attached to a surfer, they would have only a limited range of free movement.
The achievement of this ideal situation has been hindered, however, by the fact that leashes must have particular characteristics for their safe and consistent use by surfers. For example, it is not possible to use an inelastic leash tied to any part of the body of the surfer, since the shock imparted when all the slack has been taken up upon separation of the surfboard and the surfer would be likely to cause injury to the surfer, and may possibly damage the surfboard. In order to overcome this difficulty resilient leashes have been tried in order that the resilience will progressively absorb the shock as the leash becomes extended. Previously used resilient leashes, however, have suffered from two major disadvantages; first, if the resilience allows the leash to stretch considerably there is a risk either of breakage of the leash when fully stretched or of collision between the surfer and the surfboard as it returns upon contraction of the leash following full extension; secondly, if the resilience of the leash is such that only a small extension is possible, the previously mentioned disadvantage of inelastic leashes is not fully overcome and there is a possibility that the force of a powerful wave pulling on the board could be sufficient to dislocate a surfer's ankle, knee or thigh. Moreover, there is a risk that, when the surfer is separated from the surfboard in a large wave, the speed and momentum of the board will cause a hold-down situation with the surfer being dragged under the water.